Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: explore2014June21

Photgraphed this Allium flower at the Reader Rock Garden on 24 July 2013. "Allium is a monocot genus of flowering plants, informally referred to as the onion genus. The generic name Allium, the Latin word for garlic, is said to come from the Greek αλεω, to avoid, because of its offensive smell. The genus, including the various edible onions, garlics, chives, scallion and leeks, has played a pivotal role in cooking worldwide, as the various parts of the plants, either raw or cooked in many ways, produce a large variety of flavors and textures. The genus contains hundreds of distinct species; many have been harvested through human history, but only about a dozen are still economically important today as crops or garden vegetables. Many others are cultivated as ornamental plants." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium

I love seeing old barns and homesteads when driving the backroads around Calgary. This one was photographed SE of Calgary, on 14 April 2014, when I went driving the backroads for the day with my youngest daughter. Thought it would make a change of subject for my photostream, away from birds and wild or garden flowers. Looks like we are in for about a week of isolated showers, but the heavy rain seems to have come to an end, thank goodness. Hopefully, southern Alberta river levels will start to go down, avoiding any further flooding. Eerily strange coincidence that this is exactly the same time as Alberta's Flood of the Century last year, 20 June 2013.

These small wild orchids can be difficult to photograph, as they grow in the forest, where the light is not good for taking photos. It's always good to see them in the spring, after a long, bitterly cold winter. I remember maybe two or three years ago, I took photos of a small cluster of them surrounded by snow, so I guess they are hardier than they look. Found this one just off Elbow Falls Trail, in Kananaskis, on 12 June 2014. They are such exquisite wildflowers! Unfortunately, a single flowerhead doesn't quite fit into a macro photo, but I have to balance that with being able to get a soft, blurred background. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calypso_ (orchid) www.mountainnature.com/plants/PlantsLatinNameResult.asp?I...